Playing With Fire
by chels48
Summary: Rory is engaged to Logan Huntzberger, and is patiently awaiting her special day. Things have never been better and seems Rory's life is finally coming together. But is it too good to last? Just read it. haha
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls, etc, etc, etc.

A/N: Ok, here's the deal guys. I know this storyline has been done before and will be done again, but I just felt the need to put my own spin on it. So I did...or, I will. I'll try and keep it interesting and make it my own. This first chapter is a lot of dialouge and I'm not particuarly happy with it, but what are you gonna do? It's really long; a lot longer than my chapters usually are, so don't get used to it. I usually don't like to go into the past because it makes things confusing, but it was necessary for this story (fyi- the italics are the past). I'm going to try and take my time with this and not rush things, like I usually end up doing. Any comments/advice are _greatly_ appreciated. And so are reviews. Anyway, it's not the best...but here we go! lol

Rory Gilmore walked into the extravagantly decorated restaurant looking slightly disheveled and panting for breath. The look on her grandmother's face was far from inviting.

"Rory, do you realize what time it is?" Emily Gilmore asked with a disapproving look on her face.

Rory sighed and replied, "I'm so sorry I'm late grandma. There was this wreck and traffic and my alarm clock didn't go off at the right time and I have absolutely nothing to wear and...sorry."

Emily gave her a quick smile and replied, "That's alright. I suppose when a girl's getting married in less that a week, she's allowed a little slack."

Rory broke into a bright smile. "I can't believe we only have five days. I mean, we have so much to do! I was up all night making a list of everything that still needs to be done." Rory pulled several sheets of notebook paper out of her purse as she spoke.

Emily couldn't help but laugh as she looked over them. "I can't even read this!"

"Yeah," Rory replied with a sheepish grin. "I think I got kind of carried away. I just want to be prepared though."

Emily took Rory's arm as they walked to their table. "And you will be. Don't worry. I've hired the best people in the business for this wedding and the only you need to do is show up. Everything is taken cared of."

"I know, I know. I guess I'm just excited...and nervous."

"And that's completely normal," Emily said with a toss of her hands. "It's not everyday a girl gets married. And to Logan Huntzberger! I'd be worried if you weren't nervous."

Rory placed her hands on the side of her head and smiled. "I can't believe it's only five days away."

_-xxxxx-_

"Hello?" Rory answered her cell phone after several minutes of searching for it around her messy apartment.

"Ok, do me a favor," was Lorelai's greeting.

"Name it."

"Ok, stop packing."

"I'm not packing."

"Stop making dinner."

"I'm not making dinner"

"Ok, then stop doing whatever you're doing."

"I'm not doing anything," Rory said with a hint of exasperation. "I'm standing here in the living room with my hands by my side, waiting for you to tell me why you want me to stop doing the things I was never doing in the first place. So come on, spill."

Lorelai sighed dramatically. "Don't you know what tonight is though?"

"No, but I have a feeling you're gonna tell me."

"Tonight," she said, pausing for dramatic effect, "is your last night as a single woman!"

"And?" Rory asked, urging her mother to continue.

"And," she said putting emphasis on the word, "don't you think you should spend your last night as a free woman with your best friend?"

"Well, yeah, but don't you think that might be a little difficult considering you're supposed to be at the inn with grandma and the rest of the wedding staff right now getting ready for the reception?"

Lorelai gasped and exclaimed, "Oh, you're right! That will be difficult! But," she added with enthusiasm, "I convinced Michel to help them instead so I could come here and hang with you!"

Rory broke into a smile and asked excitedly, "Are you serious?"

Before she was answered, Rory heard a loud knocking on the door. She immediately hung up the phone and swung open the door, revealing a smiling Lorelai behind it. Rory threw her arms around Lorelai's neck and dragged her in until they both collapsed on the floor near the couch.

"Are you surprised?" Lorelai asked, smiling at her daughter.

Rory smiled back and hugger her mother again. "I'm so glad you're here."

"I'm glad I'm here too."

A comfortable silence fell between the two, which Lorelai quickly broke. "Ok, I didn't come here for us to just stare at each other all night."

"Well, what did you have in mind?" Rory asked excitedly, leaning slightly forward in anticipation.

Lorelai shrugged her shoulders and said, "I don't know, anything. We could...talk."

Rory cocked her head to one side and raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"You know; you, Logan, tomorrow. How are you feeling?"

Rory rolled her eyes, getting a sense of where her mother was going. "I'm fine. I'm nervous, but I'm excited."

"So you're not having any...second thoughts?" Lorelai tried to hide the hope in her voice, but realized she was being painstakingly obvious when Rory's eyes flashed with anger.

"I can't believe this!" Rory shouted, getting up from the floor. "Are you seriously sitting there, asking me on the night before my wedding whether or not I'm having second thoughts?"

Lorelai sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry. I don't know why I asked that."

"Yes you do. You don't want me to marry Logan."

"That's not exactly true," she said and quickly continued, stopping Rory from speaking again. "Yes, I do still have some trust issues with him. He doesn't exactly have the best track record when it comes to actually being in a relationship with you. I just want you to be absolutely sure that you're ready for this. Because there's till time. You say the word, I make one phone call and it's over."

Rory groaned and looked her mother in the eye. "I'm not going to do that. I love him, mom. I'm ready for this. We're ready for this. So please, just...be happy for me."

Sighing, Lorelai relented. "I am happy for you. And I love you. And I'm sorry. Ok?"

Smiling, Rory took her previous position on the floor next to her mother. "Ok...now, can we please change the subject?"

"Good idea," Lorelai agreed. "Oh yeah! Guess what I found out today."

"What?"

"Well, I was going over the guest list, just to make sure everyone was on there and everything, and I noticed a name had been added to it."

"Who?"

"Jess!" Lorelai exclaimed, watching for Rory's reaction.

"Really?" Rory asked, a small smile creeping across her face.

"Yep. I guess mom got his R.S.V.P. and added him at the last minute or something."

"You know, I didn't think he would come. I wasn't even sure whether or not to invite him or not. We just have so much history; I didn't want him to be uncomfortable. But since we've been talking lately and trying to be friends, it wouldn't really make sense to not invite him. Did Luke know he was coming?"

"No, he didn't have a clue. In fact, Luke said the last time he talked to him, Jess said he wasn't coming. But I guess he changed his mind."

"It looks like it," Rory agreed, and then added with a smile, "I'm glad he's coming."

_-xxxxx-_

_Rory glanced at her watch and estimated how much time she had before her train left. She had just finished her first day at the News Post where she would be interning for the next two months. Her day had been crazy, but she wasn't looking forward to going home. _

_Rory had always loved the city. She found the atmosphere to be invigorating and fascinating. It was so drastically different from everything she was accustomed to. At home everyone knew her and secrets were nonexistent. She was expected to be a certain person and was held up on a pedestal she sometimes thought was too high to reach. But in New York, Rory felt free. Out of the thousands of people that were crowded on the very same street she was, she didn't recognize a single face. That was a feeling she had never experienced. She realized that here, you can truly be who you are because no one cares who you are anyway. There's no one to judge you or to expect things from you. There's no one to disappoint. _

_After grabbing a coffee from a stand nearby, Rory continued down the street, searching for an interesting store she could explore for the next hour. It wasn't long until she found what she was looking for. She walked into the bookstore and took in her surroundings. It was a pretty small space, with different sized bookcases littered across the room, destroying any hope of having a clear path and creating what was sure to be a fire hazard. _

_Rory walked around the room, being careful not to trip over the piles of books lying haphazardly on the floor. She smiled as she realized she now knew how she would be spending her time waiting for the train from now on. After gathering a stack of books in her arms, she found an empty space in the floor, sat down, and began to read. _

"_You know, this isn't a library. It's a bookstore. The kind of place where people go to buy books and not just read them?" _

_Rory's breath caught in her throat as she heard the undeniable voice coming from beside the bookcase in front of her. She quickly stood up, promptly knocking over a huge stack of books at her side. _

"_Jess?" she heard herself ask. She already knew the answer, but she wanted confirmation. _

_He nodded his head slightly and dug his hands into his pockets. "Hey."_

"_Hi...What are you doing here?" Rory sputtered nervously._

"_I live here," he answered with his trademark smirk. _

"_Well, I know you live in New York, but that still doesn't explain why..."_

"_No, I live here," Jess interrupted her and motioned to the space around him._

_Rory looked at him skeptically and asked, "What? How can you live here?"_

"_Well, I don't live here exactly, but I do live in the apartment upstairs," he answered simply. _

_Rory's eyes traveled up to the ceiling. "There's an apartment up there?" She sounded doubtful. _

"_Yeah," he said, smiling at her uncertainty. "It has walls and a door and everything. There's even some stairs that lead up to it. They're right back there if you don't believe me."_

_Rory smiled at his sarcasm and shook her head. "That's ok, I believe you. I'm still confused though."_

"_Ok, well then why don't I explain it to you over some coffee?"_

_Rory hesitated for a second before answering, "Sure. I have some time before my train leaves." Motioning to the cup of coffee she already had in her hand she added, "Plus, this coffee really sucks."_

_She followed Jess through the tangle of books until they reached a door hidden behind several awkwardly placed bookcases. He pushed it open and revealed a narrow staircase leading up to an open door. _

_Rory looked up and said, "Wow, there really is an apartment up there."_

_Jess laughed and replied, "Hey, I'm a man of my word." _

_Rory reached the top first and stepped into the apartment, taking a look around. She smiled as she realized it was set up almost identically to the way Luke's had been years ago. _

_Rory turned to face Jess and gave him a nod of approval. "I like it." _

_The coffee was quickly made and served and the two sat down on a well-worn, but comfortable, sofa._

"_Ok, are you gonna make me pry this information from you or are you just going to tell me on your own?" Rory asked with a smile. _

_Jess rolled his eyes and sighed. "There's really not that much to tell. One of my mom's old boyfriends died a couple months ago and since he didn't have any other family, he left this place to me." _

"_And just like that, it's yours? I mean, do you even know how to run a bookstore?"_

"_Technically, no. But I used to spend a lot of time in here when I was a kid. And I picked up a few things when I was working in the diner." Rory continued to look skeptic, so he grudgingly added, "Plus, I got my G.E.D. about a year ago and now I'm taking a few courses at a small place down the street." _

_Rory broke into a huge smile at this piece of information. Without thinking, she threw her arms around him, nearly causing him to spill his coffee. "I'm so proud of you."_

_Jess shifted awkwardly, not knowing how to react to her closeness. He waited until she pulled back and said, "Uh, thanks." _

_She nodded her head in response. "So, don't you want to know why I'm here?" _

"_Let me guess. Big shot writing job?" _

_Rory shook her head. "Not quite. I'm interning at a small newspaper company. I took a year off before my junior year so I'm a little behind, but I'll get there." Rory smiled and glanced at her watch. "Anyway, I guess I should go. My train leaves pretty soon." She stood up and handed her empty cup of coffee to Jess. She turned and walked to the door. Before leaving she turned back around. "You know, I'll be in the city again tomorrow. Do you want to get together for lunch or something?" _

_Jess smirked and nodded his head. "Sure. I'll be here all day, so just stop by whenever you're free." _

_Jess watched as she made her way down the stairs. He sighed and walked back into his apartment, softly shutting the door behind him. _

A/N: Ok, that was it. Did you love it? Did you hate it? Be honest, you'll be doing me a favor. I'll try and have the next chapter up sometime next week.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls or these characters, etc, etc, etc...

A/N: A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm really glad you liked it. A lot of people have asked whether this is a Rogan or Jess/Rory story. I can't really say too much because I don't want to give anything away. But read the A/N at the end when you finish reading and it will explain some things.

Rory stepped into the church and literally stopped breathing. Gorgeous red roses coupled with gold ribbon decorated each aisle of pews. She looked up and was nearly blinded by an antique chandelier that spiraled out in all directions, casting long, delicate shadows across the walls. She walked to the front of the church and slowly spun in a circle, taking in every detail.

"Rory!" her grandmother's voice echoed through the church as she entered from the side door. "What are you doing? We're on a schedule!"

Rory ran to her grandmother and softly embraced her. "It's perfect."

Emily took Rory's hands and smiled. "Come on, we don't have much time."

_-xxxxx-_

Rory's mind kept wandering as she desperately tried to listen to her grandmother's instructions. She couldn't believe that the day had finally come. The day she was getting married.

It was a thought Rory had a hard time grasping. After all, she had never really pictured herself being married. It just wasn't part of the plan. It wasn't important or something she needed.

But with Logan, everything had changed. He taught her how to be spontaneous and how to have fun. He was able to bring out sides of Rory she didn't even know she had. Just being around him was exciting and invigorating. He was something new, something different.

And so slowly, over time, the plan changed. What was important before didn't seem quite as important anymore. Logan was the new plan. He was her future and her life. She was certain of it.

But then, there was always that feeling of uncertainty. That tiny, almost insignificant, pang of conscience and reality that resulted in countless arguments and sleepless nights. The black mark on their beautifully painted future.

Rory was determined to ignore the feeling. She forced it to the back of her mind and focused back in to what her grandmother was trying to tell her.

"I can't believe your mother isn't here yet!" Emily exclaimed. "I must have told her 15 times not to be late. I even left three messages on her machine last night reminding her what time to get here!"

"Oh now, don't exaggerate. You told me 13 times and left two messages." Lorelai whisked up to her mother's side as she spoke.

"Well, I'm glad you finally made it to your daughter's wedding," Emily replied with a sarcastic smile.

"Come on, mom. I'm only 20 minutes late. Besides, it's not my fault. Luke took surprisingly long getting ready this morning."

At this Rory quickly jumped to her step-father's defense. "Mom, don't blame Luke. Be a big girl and take responsibility for your own lack of punctuality."

Lorelai focused her attention on Rory. "Well hey there wedding girl!" She looked Rory up and down and exclaimed, "You look beautiful!"

Rory glanced at the torn pair of jeans and old t-shirt she was wearing and rolled her eyes. "I'm not even dressed yet."

"I know. But you're still beautiful." Lorelai smiled sadly and tried to keep her voice steady. "And you're grown."

Rory pulled her mother into a tight hug. "I love you, mom."

"I love you too, kid."

Lorelai broke away and wiped her eyes. She forced a laugh and joked, "It's a good thing we haven't had our makeup done yet."

Rory laughed and quickly hugged her mother again. "Ok, we have to stop. There's no time for crying."

Lorelai duplicated Rory's serious expression and agreed. "Right. No time for crying. Now come on." Lorelai glanced around the room, making sure Emily wasn't watching them. She grabbed Rory's arm and pulled her out of the dressing room into the hall.

"Hey!" Rory protested. "What are you doing?"

"I brought someone to see you," Lorelai explained. They continued down the hallway until they reached a small room. Rory smiled at the lone occupant. "Hey!"

"I'm going to go find Luke," Lorelai whispered and left.

Rory walked up to Jess and hugged him. "I'm so glad you came."

Jess smirked, "Hey, I couldn't miss this."

"Listen, I'm sorry I haven't been in touch lately," Rory stammered. "Things have been crazy, you know? With all the wedding plans and everything, I guess I just lost track of time."

Jess shrugged. "It's ok. I know you've been busy."

A moment of awkward silence fell between them until Rory suddenly brightened. "Hey! I have an idea. Now, I know, it's probably crazy and I'm throwing you way off guard, so you don't have to do it if you don't want to. But," she faltered for a second before hesitantly asking, "Do you want to walk me down the aisle?"

Jess was taken aback and hesitated before he asked, "Isn't Luke doing that?"

"Yeah," Rory admitted. "But so is my dad...and my grandpa. But, one more couldn't hurt, right?"

Jess was visibly uncomfortable as he started to answer, "I don't know, Rory..."

Rory tried to hide her disappointment and forced a smile. "Don't worry about it. It was just and idea."

Jess sighed. "No, I'll do it."

Rory looked uncertain. "Are you sure? Because you really don't have to. Only do it if you want to do it."

Jess smiled and reassured her, "I want to do it."

Rory beamed. "Thank you so much, Jess. You don't know how much this means to me." She hugged him again and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I should probably go start getting ready. I'll see you in a little while!"

Rory rushed excitedly out of the room. Jess sighed and waited until she was out of sight before quietly following behind.

_-xxxxx-_

Rory twirled in front of the full length mirror, inspecting her dress for any faults. Her grandmother had cleared the room moments before, insisting Rory have some "quiet time to gather herself." Rory was glad for the quiet, but was surprised to find she wasn't nervous at all. She felt completely confident and was patiently waiting for the ceremony to begin.

There was a knock on the door and Rory stopped spinning. "Ace, it's me. Open up."

Rory smiled at the familiar voice and went to open the door. She laughed as Logan stepped into the room.

"Does my grandmother know you're not dressed yet?" Rory asked, chuckling again at his designer jeans and white polo. She grabbed his shoulders and gave him a little push. "You better hurry up. It's going to start any minute now."

Logan took Rory's hands in his and sighed. "Ace..." His voice was filled with an emotion Rory couldn't quite place.

"What's wrong?" she asked hesitantly. When he didn't answer she placed her hands on his face and looked into his eyes. "Logan, talk to me."

He stepped back, causing her arms to fall limply at her side. He cleared his throat, forcing it to stay steady. "Rory...I can't do this."

Rory blinked, not able to comprehend his words. "What?"

"I'm sorry." His voice cracked and he looked away, not able to look into her eyes anymore.

"Why are you doing this?" Rory asked breathlessly.

Logan stayed silent, knowing he would never find the words to explain to her...or to himself. A tear slid down his cheek and he turned away from her. His voice shook as he whispered, "It's not because I don't love you."

Rory watched helplessly as he closed the door behind him. She wanted to yell, to scream for him to stop. She wanted to do something, anything, to make him see how much she loved him and how much he was killing her.

But she didn't. She let him go.

_-xxxxx-_

Jess was waiting nervously at the back of the church with the rest of Rory's ushers. He had just awkwardly introduced himself to Christopher and Richard moments before and was relieved to find they were just as anxious as him.

"Are you ok?" Luke questioned Jess, trying not to laugh.

"I'm fine," Jess ensured, wiping his brow and taking a deep breath.

"You look nervous."

"I'm not nervous," Jess insisted as he began to pace back and forth. "When the hell is this thing going to start anyway?"

"Just relax." Luke clapped a hand on Jess' shoulder.

"Ok guys, we're ready," Lorelai announced to the group, appearing behind them. "Luke, go get Logan and tell him. I'll get Rory."

Before she could leave, Sookie rushed up to her and announced hysterically, "Lorelai! One of the bridesmaids just ripped her dress and we need you to set the world record for speedy sewing!"

Lorelai groaned. "Ok, I'm coming." She turned to Jess and smiled pleadingly. "Hey Jess, do me a favor? Go get Rory. Thanks!"

Jess slowly turned and walked down the hall to Rory's dressing room. He knocked on the door. When no one answered, he called, "Rory? Come one, it's time to go!"

He waited for a reply, but she didn't answer. He turned the doorknob and softly pushed the door open. Rory was across the room, sitting in the corner. She had her legs pulled tightly to her chest and her arms wrapped protectively around her. Jess closed the door, locking it behind him. He crossed the room and sat down by her side.

Rory didn't try to hide the tears that had fallen on her cheeks. She continued to look directly in front of her and simply said, "He's gone." Her voice was hallow and her breath came in ragged gulps, causing her chest to sporadically rise and fall. "I don't know what I'm going to do. Everyone's waiting for me."

She turned her head slightly, looking at Jess out of the corner of her eye. He suddenly stood and offered his hand to her. "Come on."

Rory took it and let him pull her to her feet.

"Ok, now take off your dress."

Rory dropped his hand and looked at him questioningly. "What?"

"I'm not helping you ditch your wedding in that wedding dress. It's too cliché. So, come on. Put your jeans back on and let's go." When she didn't move he smirked and added, "I promise I won't look."

Rory looked at him desperately. "I can't just leave."

"Yes you can."

"No, I can't," Rory persisted. "I have to explain. I have to tell them what happened."

Jess shrugged. "They're smart people, they'll figure it out."

"But..." Rory began but was interrupted.

"We don't have a lot of time Rory."

Rory lowered her gaze and admitted tearfully, "I don't want to be like him. I don't want to run away."

Jess was momentarily stung by her words, realizing their hidden meaning even when Rory didn't. He cupped her face and gently lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. He shook his head. "You will never be like him." His words were forceful, although he whispered them gently. They were convincing; a promise. They were words she could trust.

Rory laughed bitterly and nodded her head slightly. She allowed Jess to brush away the tears that had slipped down her cheeks before grabbing her neatly folded clothes off the side table.

Jess turned his back and faced the wall while Rory changed. She struggled with the zipper, forcing it down. The dress fell and she quickly picked it up, not wanting to see her beloved dress in a heap on the ground.

A sob escaped her throat as she draped it across a chair. Her trembling fingers lingered on the delicate material, not wanting to let it go. Jess appeared by her side, putting a protective arm around her.

"They were right," she whispered.

_-xxxxx-_

A/N: Ok, so before all you Rogan fans start throwing things, let me say this: this is not the end. There are still many more chapters to go and Logan will make an appearance. Plus, I'm planning on having a few more flashbacks with him in them too. So he's not gone. And as for Rory and Jess...right now I'm focusing on their friendship more than anything. So, it could go either way, really. And now everyone's happy! lol Anyway, thanks for reading. Remember, reviews are awesome and I love them. I have a feeling this next chapter is going to be difficult to write, so I'm not really sure when I'll update. I'll try not to take longer than a week or so though.


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